Am i a tool as how u put it . u say ur a tool if u help .well in truth a tool is way different as how u describe it.but either way i never considered myself a tool cus no one is controlling me to do it and i wasnt made to purely to function on it.

I like helping people out of Kindness in general, people that i dont know and do know. There is no better feeling that comes of it its really lifts and brightness the spirit . U feel a sense of happiness in seeing that person that u helped feel better and knowing that at least u made a difference in that life. Well there is no greater satisfaction for me in seeing someone smile a pleasant smile and it makes it even more meaningful to me that i did it out of my own will and sacrificed what i had to do that might have been important, but there troubles might have been even more important than mine. so yeah if this as u clearly put it makes someone a Tool then i guess i am one Happy one.

What i think of these types of people well i clearly see that if they ask for help i will surely give it to them but if they reject it and say they can do it i will step back. but i will always be there behind them to hold them up when they need me . i guess that how i am haha.

i dont mind in helping but i also dont want them to depend on me too much .i want to help them get back up but not keep holding there hand in walking them forever. They have to know where the boundary lies in doing things ur self.

Indeed, it's good to know the difference between teaching someone by example and serving another person.

For me it has value.
I do tbings mainly because I want to...
So when people say ur being used...
I say actually I'm letting myself get used and there is a big differemce in awareness there.
Its more about just wanting to do something or be a part of something for a bit...
Usually it just means ur the guy people come to get somethung done but when the problem is solved then u have to leave because ur a reminder of the careless neglugence of the people who should have helped in the first place...
Some people think its cool but really it has nothin to do with image, intentions, or integrity but people will label it as good...
I think its completely selfish what i do...

If it's for your own pure interests to be helpful to other people, then man you must be a really kind person.

um...ok so this post is getting close to 4 years old, but I have to say that I think this definition of 'tool' is way off the mark.

Every time I've heard it used, it implies a person who is somewhat clueless and who allows himself to be used easily by other people, and who is by extension readily tossed aside. The extended meaning is of a sort of clueless person in general who might not fall under the category of 'dork.'

With the definition given in the OP, Mother Theresa, Albert Schweitzer, the Peace Corps, and the Red Cross are all a bunch of tools.

It may be off center, but I do believe that the term can be used in a broad enough sense to allow my definition to technically be correct with the definition I tied to it so many asdasfasdasf years ago.

And if you applied my given definition of a "tool" to those different groups, yeah they most definitely are. There's no real way you can sugar coat that effectively.

Well, then if you are honestly saying that a derogatory term applies to people who genuinely act out of kindness (as opposed to a tendency to be easily manipulated), I'd say that says a heck of a lot more about you than it does about them.

I'm actually one of those people who are too kind for their own good. I spend more time helping my friends and relatives that it's gotten to a point where i've been left stranded by myself with my own problems that have been growing. I literally went through a break down and had to pick myself back up again, with some support. Pro tip for people like me; sometimes it's good to be selfish BEEP at times.

I'm very well aware that I am a doormat. I cave in and do a lot of things for others that I wouldn't otherwise do. It just makes me feel better being helpful, I guess. I feel like if I don't do things for others it will come back to bite me later. Karma~ And I've always rather lacked self-confidence, so I guess I worry that people will leave me if I don't do things for them, since I have no other redeeming qualities...

However, I am fully capable of saying no to requests that I think go overboard or that I'm not comfortable with. I've gotten better at that. When I was younger, I used to take a lot more shit from people; not so much now. But if it's something small, like say, loaning out $20 to a friend, no biggie, ne?

I'm a volunteer firefighter.... But mostly because I like the self gratifying ego trip I can generate in my head when I think about how brave, courageous and heroic I am. It's not out of selflessness, it's just to glorify my own bloated self image and exacerbate my false sense of pride.

Do I help people? Yeah, but only because I feel so fucking sorry for all the weak, helpless morons who surround me from every direction. As an educator I try to help the ignorant with my mind, and as an individual I try to help the imperiled with my hands. What more can I offer?

Why am I emotionally moved enough to feel for other people? Maybe it's because despite the fact that they're all less than worthless and actually represent a net negative value to the planet, and despite the reality that if I actually talked to any of them I'd probably hate them for their ignorance and superstitious beliefs -- I just can't help but love you all. After a lifetime of frustration with you fucking apes, it's the only innocent quality I have left.

Rajyrrwrote:
Most of us are drop-dead apathetic, when you get to thinking about it. People are actively taught in school to seek the shortest route to answer a problem.

I agree with your assertion but we don't just simply think in terms of shortcuts, we feel something, then we think about it until we can rationalize our feelings. That's how our minds operate.

So really, it's not apathy that's the issue, it's the average person's lack of exceptional abilities and the resulting lack of confidence in their meager or simply just average abilities. That's what makes them feel inadequate to the task at hand. That feeling of powerlessness overwhelms them and they rationalize that they can't help others because they lack the ability to make a difference. Resulting in what some would call apathy. However the feeling that one should help doesn't go away, instead it just nags at them from the back of their minds until they come up with lots of reasons to dislike, or hate the helpless, their society, their government, or the entire world.

It's not because they don't care to help, they do. If they didn't want to help -- they wouldn't have bothered to go through the mental process of trying to manage their feelings. So really, apathy isn't apathy, it's just a lack of self confidence which cumulates in a state of uselessness.

I try to help others if someone requires help and it is within my realm of possibility. I would go out of my way to help some out and I'm glad to say that whenever I require help there is always someone to help me out as well. So I guess don't always be selfish because you never know when you yourself might need some assistance.

That said I think it's terrible calling people who help others as tools. They are genuinely good people and "tool" sounds like something that is very demeaning.

It depends on the person and on my mood. Sometimes, people just want my advice, so it's easy to 'help' them. However, if it's something else, it differs a lot. Sometimes I don't even know why I'm helping a certain person and I often think I'm too nice (or just too soft), but I always, ALWAYS help my friends (or those I consider[ed] my friends).

Meaning, do you purposely go out and help people whenever they ask? sometimes, depends on their "power" and what they want from meWhat do you think about these types of people? We're weak ....Do you do it out of habit or kindness? more like I do it so people don't hate me. It started at when I was about 12 due to me being the only asian and everyone copying my homework.Do you know anyone that acts like this? Yes, me and a ton of other people,I'm not a tool compared to all the non-koreans in my school since all they do is suck up to them since they're the majority, it's fucking annoying as hell. a Russian girl freaking made cake for all the koreans so that tehy would like her. And my friend bought a korean girl a $100 necklace for her birthday.What do you think about these types of people? It's sad, but it's life.

I used to always say yes even if it was a complete stranger just because I was always told to "Do unto other what you would do to yourself" I still follow that, but after being used like a tool a few to many times, I ask what it is first before I say yes....unless it is family then I will do it regardless.